The weather was exceptionally kind to Carew Youth Club on Saturday morning. The club had arranged a morning of kayaking on the Mill Pond with the Forest Outdoor Company. Gary, Rich and Scott came from Cilgerran with a trailer-load of boats and equipment. When they arrived at 9.30 am, the heavens opened and whilst the young members did not seem to care about a bit of rain, the adults were not looking quite so keen to go and spectate! Anyway, by the time everyone had made their way to the Carew Mill, we were enjoying glorious sunshine. Twenty members took part under the watchful eye of the trained instructors. I don't think I have ever seen the youngsters so excited as they were equipped with lifejackets and paddles. Once afloat, there were a few of them desperate to get wet - why are they so keen to go out in a boat just so they can try and get wet? We had a few near misses and eventually Tom took the title of being outside the boat instead of in it, unfortunately taking Paul and Holly with him (though I don't think they minded too much!). As it turned out, they all ended up soaking wet, as everyone had a go at capsizing their kayak. It was a beautiful sight seeing the boats out on the water, which was so tranquil; and with the castle in the background, it was a wonderful scene - a scene that was enjoyed by so many people, too, locals and tourists alike, many of whom commented on how nice it was to see the Mill Pond being used by the local children (our thanks to the National Park for allowing us to do this). The club is hoping to be able to do another two sessions with Forest Outdoor and at the end of the course will be awarded certificates. A huge thank you to the instructors who were brilliant with the youngsters. Also it was nice to hear comments about how well behaved the young club members were and what a pleasure it was to teach them. We are looking forward to our sponsored walk in the next couple of weeks and are hoping it will be well supported to enable the club to fund the next two sessions. We also have some other fund-raising activities in the pipeline, so watch this space. Thanks also to Sian Cole for taking the children around the castle and grounds on Friday night, where they had a very enjoyable and informative talk about the history of the castle and all the wildlife that inhabits the area.

JO HICKS